Mount Everest Base Camp: Our Trekking Experiences
Hiking in the Himalayas was high on our list after watching one of the many films that have been made about this region. Why not walk to Mount Everest Base Camp right away? We made this multi-day hike during our world trip. Read our own Mount Everest Base Camp (EBC) trek experiences here.
The Flight to Lukla
Let’s start with the ‘scariest’ part right away. Lukla airport is known as the most dangerous airport in the world. This is because the runway is so short that it was built under a small angle, as the planes wouldn’t be able to come to a stop otherwise. Is the flight really that scary? After all we think it’s not that bad. Yes, you are crammed into a small propeller plane with about 20 people that has to land on a really short runway. And yes, the planes do not look like the safest ones in the world. However, the pilots carry out flights several times a day and we didn’t feel uncomfortable during the flight itself. Weather circumstances are monitored better and the country is really doing its best to increase safety.
Having said that, Nepal’s airlines still do not meet safety criteria standards from other parts of the world and are banned to many other regions for that country. Risks are just a little higher. Still we felt quite safe. The main real problem remains weather. There is a good chance that you will be stuck for days at either Ramechhap (departure airport) or Lukla if there is cloudy weather. To be honest, we found the ride to Ramechhap airport more terrifying than the flight to Lukla itself. The roads are in very bad condition and only partly paved. And cars, well, just do not think of their maintenance condition.
The Route to Mount Everest Base Camp
It all depends on your personal conditions and preferences how long it takes to hike to Mount Everest Base Camp. The average route takes 13-14 days return including flights to and from Lukla. We did not find the route to Mount Everest Base Camp too difficult at all. Sure, you have to climb a lot, often walk up stairs and encounter bad weather conditions. However, the path is really easy to walk. You can make your own tempo, the guides and porters will follow. Also, if you experience AMS symptoms, these guys do everything the can to get you going, comfortably. That also means going slower of faster each day. For us, it went so well that we were even a day faster back at Lukla!
Sleeping During Mount Everest Base Camp Trek
During the trek to Mount Everest Base Camp, you sleep in so-called tea-houses. You will find a common area and separate rooms in about every accommodation. We have also seen people who travel on a budget sleep in large tents/tea-houses with a common dormitory. To be honest, we found the accommodations very well maintained! Basic, but fine with okay beds, cozy common area and proper toilets.
Food and Drinks During the Trek
We had breakfast, lunch and dinner in the tea-houses along the way, which was included in our guided tour package. As we climbed higher, the choice on the menu became less. However, there was always enough to choose from, even if you’d like something different than dal bhat for once. There is simply one rule in the mountains when in comes to food: think of your dish being outside in the sun for several days. Would you still consume it?
All food is to be carried the same hiking path, so all kinds of meat and other animal products may be decayed even before the arrive at the accommodation. We simply tried to avoid all kinds of these foods. That resulted in some vegan spagettis, pizza’s, but mostly the local dish: dal bhat. The main benefit is that you often can keep filling your plate without additional price. And that it is really healthy of course!
What we really liked was that you could order all different types of tea (maybe tea is even more common in Nepal than dal bhat). Normally we took a cup of coffee in the morning (which was quite decent coffee to be honest), but for the rest of the day we took tea and water. By the way, we did not buy plastic bottles of water anywhere. We always filled our filter bottle of water-to-go from the stream/tap.
Personal Hygiene During the Trek
Well, most tea-houses up to and including Namche Bazaar have (paid) showers. The further up you go, the more basic it will be. Decent showers will vanish. However, we often found old school bowls and water hoses directly from the streams to wash in. It takes some adaptation, but for us it did the job. Toilets, on the other hand, are fine everywhere on the route. Although running water is not common, most toilets had a barrel filled with water, using a jug to ‘flush’.
Also check out our complete list of things you want to bring during the Mount Everest Base Camp Trek.
Altitude Sickness
Hiking at high altitude is not entirely without risks. Get information from your tour operator in advance and also seek advice from your GP/vaccination centre. We read all about the signs of altitude sickness and took certain measures in advance to prevent it. For example, we drank a lot of water and tea (around 4L each day!) on the way and we planned two acclimatization days. On these days, you remain at the same altitude to get yourself used to the oxygen level. Walking higher and sleeping low increases adaptation. We did not take any medication for altitude sickness, but had some altitude pills as back up. In the end, we didn’t suffer from AMS, only sleeping at high altitudes was sometimes inconvenient.
Ambiance During the Trek
Sounds great, right, that hike to Mount Everest Base Camp? Besides all the dangers, it is just an amazing experience. Written text and even pictures do not come even close to the real thing. And that means amazing views, but also ambiance! Everyone hiking there has the same goal: reaching the top. You’ll meet people all around the world having their own story and there is just so much time to chat around. And if you do so, you’ll find out you’re not the only one struggling.
